Author: Saige Sophos

Reproductive Justice advocate based in Raleigh, NC

Beware of Fake Abortion Clinics AKA Crisis Pregnancy Centers

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Crisis Pregnancy Center Sign.

What are crisis pregnancy centers?

Crisis pregnancy centers, sometimes called pregnancy resource centers, are a type of non-profit organization with a sole purpose of discouraging pregnant people from getting an abortion. Some CPCs that qualify as medical centers only provide a narrow scope of medical services such as pregnancy tests, (limited) ultrasounds, and maybe STI testing. Some may give referrals to adoption agencies, financial and material assistance, while none of them offer referrals for abortion.

A large majority of crisis pregnancy centers are ran by pro-life, christian organizations that work to outlaw abortion. There are more crisis pregnancy centers than actual abortion clinics in America. For example, in North Carolina there are only 8 abortion clinics and nearly 100 CPCs.

How Are CPCs Funded?

Crisis pregnancy centers are funded through donations, churches, the Choose Life license plate program (which 33 states currently have), and tax-payer funds. Far too often I hear people say they don’t want their tax dollars paying for someone’s abortion, yet the majority of the public is unaware that our tax dollars instead go to fund fake abortion clinics, when instead that money could go towards free contraceptives, comprehensive sex education, and abortion clinics (all of which are statistically proven to lower abortion rates).

From 2001 to 2006, over $60 million has been funded to crisis pregnancy centers, most of this money had come from federal programs for abstinence-only education under the conservative Bush Administration. Additional funding has been distributed as “capacity-building” grants to 25 pregnancy resource centers in 15 states as part of the new $150 million Compassion Capital Fund. For this report, female investigators telephoned the 25 pregnancy resource centers that had received grants from the Compassion Capital Fund, requesting information and advice regarding an unintended pregnancy. According to their findings, 20 of the 23 centers (87%) provided false or misleading information about the health effects of abortion.

What Is The Problem With Crisis Pregnancy Centers?

Since CPCs are typically registered as non-profit organizations and are not qualified healthcare professionals, they do not have to follow the same regulations as healthcare professionals. This means they are not bound by HIPPA, meaning the patient’s private information can be given out and is not required to be kept confidential. Since CPCs are not held under the same standards as medical professionals, they often disseminate false information; they are are often caught lying to pregnant people about how far along into their pregnancy they are in an attempt to waste limited time to get an abortion; they are also known for lying about how abortion procedures work, potential complications of abortion, fetal development, the impacts of getting an abortion and STI information.

Deceitful Tactics Used By Crisis Pregnancy Centers.

Crisis pregnancy centers use a variety deceitful tactics on pregnant people seeking abortion, people who are in a very vulnerable position. Despite looking like legitimate clinics, most CPCs are not licensed and their staff are not licensed medical professionals. Most crisis pregnancy centers use similar wording as abortion clinics (“Women’s healthcare”, “women’s clinic”, “pregnancy clinic”, ”“pregnancy care”, “pregnancy resources”, and so on ) as another attempt to disguise themselves as a real medical facility. They may set up in a close vicinity to an actual abortion provider in an attempt to trick patients into going to the wrong building on arrival. Some even utilize a “mobile care clinic” where they have a van that they park near abortion clinics to trick pregnant people into getting an ultrasound and misleading them about the services they provide.

CPCs often use decades-old studies that have long been debunked by newer, more accurate medical advancements, and again are allowed to lie to people seeking abortion services. States, such as North Carolina, that have the Women’s Right to Know Act do not consider CPCs talk about abortion eligible to meet the standards of the Women’s Right to Know Act, which only wastes limited time to get an abortion.

How to Spot A CPC Online

After reviewing nearly 100 crisis pregnancy center’s websites in North Carolina, I found two common themes: they’re either super vague, or they have a lot of information. I always recommend checking out the one star reviews.

The ones that are full of information tend to use misleading and stigmatizing language, may list a church, or list a pro-life organization (such as Heartbeat International, Birthright, and Care Net). Sometimes they have a separate website for donors and/or affiliates to keep their patients from seeing that they have a direct connection with anti-abortion organizations – Heartbeat International actually reccommends this. They will talk about abortion procedures in a stigmatizing manner and only offer a small scope of medical services (mainly pregnancy tests and/or a limited ultrasound).

Sometimes local or state ordinances require CPCs to disclose online that they do not preform, refer, or recommend abortion services. The main spots I’ve found this disclaimer is at the very bottom of page, on about page, or under the services page.

Another way to spot a crisis pregnancy center online is looking for “”

Want to print off a handout to share with friends and family? Below is a free doc available that I created; donations are accepted. (Some information in the document is relevant to North Carolinians.)

Printable Handout on Crisis Pregnancy Centers

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Comprehensive Inclusive List Of Abortion Rights Signs (& Why Some Are Problematic)

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Picture of me painting a protest sign saying "If i wanted the gov't in my uterus, id screw a congressman."

Inclusive Abortion/Reproductive Rights Signs

  • The 1950’s is calling..don’t answer
  • Pro choice or no choice
  • End the stigma
  • Stop the war on marginalized communities
  • Stronger together; Equal rights for all
  • Vasectomies prevent abortions
  • If I wanted the government in my uterus, I’d screw a congressman
  • 1973; Protect Roe v Wade
  • Reproductive rights are trans rights!
  • Trans rights are human rights
  • My body, My choice, My voice
  • Public Cervix Announcement: Keep your laws off our bodies
  • Keep your rosaries off my ovaries
  • If you’re “prolife” where’s your advocacy for for universal healthcare, affordable housing, ending police brutality, ending the death penalty etc?
  • If you’re not livid then you’re not listening
  • Abortion is a human right
  • Same shit, different century
  • America: where a virus has more reproductive rights than people with a uterus
  • I am more than my uterus/We are more than our uterus
  • Pass the equal rights amendment!
  • Pass the Women’s Health Protection Act!
  • End the Hyde Amendment! It drastically effects WOC & low income women!
  • Im a person, not a womb.
  • I’m the pro-choice feminist they warned you about
  • We shouldn’t have to be here
  • Thank god the 675,000 dead from COVID/*insert gun violence statistic here* aren’t embryos, the republicans would be pissed.
  • What laws regulate cishet men’s bodies?
  • Abortion is 14x safer than giving birth
  • Don’t like abortions? Don’t get one
  • Men of quality do not fear equality
  • If the baby is black/gay/trans/poor/an immigrant, will you protect its rights then?
  • My arms are tired from holding this sign since the 1960s
  • Woman’s rights are human rights
  • If my birth control is taken, I’ll just make more feminists
  • I understand a mask can be uncomfortable but so can pregnancy/child birth & the GOP doesn’t seem to have a problem forcing pregnant people to do that
  • When did MY abortion effect YOU?
  • Protect the rights of: black, indigenous, immigrant, poor, trans, ALL women
  • We will be less activist when you’ll be less shitty
  • Pro-choice (adj.) the radical notion that women are people and can make decisions about their own bodies
  • Forced pregnancy is a crime against humanity
  • When abortion is outlawed, a corpse has more rights than a living breathing person
  • I am no longer accepting things I cannot change. I am changing things I can no longer accept -Angela Davis
  • Girls just wanna have FUNdamental human rights

Creative Sign Ideas

  • GOP: we can’t pass laws making it harder to get guns. there won’t be fewer guns, people will just find a way to get them illegally. Also GOP: if we ban abortion there will be fewer abortions (Do this one set up as a meme if you have a big enough board)
  • We’re not ovary-acting ! / Don’t make us ovary-act!
  • Boys will be boys (mark out boys) held accountable/decent people/educated better
  • Make a diagram of a plant seed saying this is not a tree & one of an embryo/fetus saying this is not a baby

Problematic Protest Signs (& Why)

  • References to the Handmaids Tale. Not only are they unrealistic (the US would never ensure ALL pregnant people are housed, have access to pregnancy care, properly fed, etc) but they are also disingenuous to all the black, indigenous and immigrant women of color that have already been experiencing forced sterilization, forced birth, and more pregnancy related atrocities throughout America’s history and even into today’s times.
  • Coat Hanger References. Yes, it used to have more relevance during the movement that got Roe v Wade passed however, it also contributes to the idea that self-managed abortions are dangerous and deadly when in reality medicinal abortions, aka self managed abortions, are extremely safe when properly supervised. Coat hanger imagery only serves to fuel the stigma (and borderline misinformation) around abortions. With such medical advancements since the 1970’s and it’s safety record, the gruesome imagery of the coat hanger is unnecessary in this day in age.
  • “If men got pregnant we wouldn’t be having this conversation” or similar rhetoric. This point excludes the trans men and masc-presenting non-binary and gender-nonconforming individuals who are capable of getting pregnant. It fails to include our trans and gender-nonconforming comrades, people who reproductive healthcare access also affects just as much as cis women.
  • Rhetoric stating LGBTQ rights will be next. This ignores the fact that LGBTQ rights are under attack now. The more inclusive the movement and the sooner people acknowledge the intersectionality of different specs and move in such a way that also recognizes their problems, the more power we will have. Solidarity is everything; As Fred Hampton said “We don’t think you fight fire with fire best ; we think you fight fire with water best. We’re going to fight racism not with racism, but we’re going to fight with solidarity.” This needs to be applied to all issues if we hope to achieve true liberation for all.

References

  1. https://www.guttmacher.org/article/2019/11/self-managed-abortion-may-be-rise-probably-not-significant-driver-overall-decline
  2. https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/coat-hanger-abortion-meme
  3. https://blackfeministcollective.com/2018/12/08/why-the-the-handmaids-tale-is-problematic/

Pushing Back at the Rise in Anti-Abortion Laws & What You Can Do.

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"Abort the Supreme Court"

Since the passing of Roe v Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v Casey (1992), it has been heavily under attack by republican congress members. From January 1, 2021 to April 15, 2022, over 536 abortion restrictions have been introduced in 42 states; so far, 33 of those restrictions have been enacted in 9 states. When Roe is overturned, 13 states will immediately ban abortions & 13 more are likely to make it nearly impossible to get an abortion; thus leaving many in the South & the Midwest without access to reproductive healthcare for hundreds or even thousands of miles in some instances.

On Monday May 2, 2022, the SCOTUS draft majority opinion was leaked in regards to Dobbs v. Jackson’s Women’s Health Organization — a case that could (& most likely will) overturn Roe v. Wade & Casey v. Planned Parenthood. Our current SCOTUS is majoritively, 6 out of 9, both conservative & Christian, meaning that our rights to bodily autonomy, privacy, & receiving healthcare will likely be taken away in the coming months.

What Can You Do to Push Back Against Anti-Abortion Laws?

  • Follow your state legislature; they will keep attacking other rights once Roe is overturned.
  • Contact your local representatives to vote for/against legislation.
  • Join your local pro-choice coalition.
  • Organize a panel to educate the community of the current threats to reproductive rights & the consequences that will come of them.
  • See if your local abortion clinic has an amazon wish-list & buy something off it to support the clinic & those who utilize them.
  • Get directly involved and volunteer with your local Planned Parenthood.
  • Contact your local abortion clinic and see if you can donate your extra gas points to people traveling to your state seeking an abortion.
  • Join a third-party organization such as Democratic Socialists of America, Socialist Alternative, or Party for Socialism and Liberation.
  • Contact your local abortion clinic and see if you can donate your hotel room points to support people traveling to your state seeking an abortion.
  • Write a letter to the editor of your local paper telling your abortion story.
  • Host a video night featuring a reproductive rights film.
  • Canvass your community to determine where local advocacy and education is needed.
    • Find out what type of sex education programs exist in the schools in your community & advocate for comprehensive sex education.
    • See which employers provide contraceptive coverage in their insurance plans- if they don’t, advocate for them.
    • Find out what hospitals in your area provide abortions, tubal litigation & emergency contraception.
  • Vote in pro-choice candidates- not all democrats are pro-choice! Do you research on who you’re voting for.
  • Donate to your local abortion fund.
  • Go out and protest-this is only the start.
  • Table at local events like converts, outdoor markets, street fairs, & college campuses.
  • Tell your abortion story to destigmatize abortions & the people who get them.
    • Telling your story helps evoke emotions & puts a face behind the statistics on who gets abortions and why they’re fundamental healthcare.
  • Call up to your local abortion clinic and see if they need any clinic escorts to help keep abortion seekers safe from harassers while arriving to clinics.
  • Become a clinic escort to ensure pregnant people can securely access abortion care.
  • Get yourself some birth control, emergency contraceptives, and abortion pills to have on hand-if you do plan on getting extra try online rather than in stores to help ensure those who go to said store can have access to them.
  • Adopt-A-Clinic through the Abortion Access Front to support abortion recipients.
  • Write a letter to the editor of your local paper about the attack on Roe.
  • Contact your local representatives to pass reproductive healthcare protections in your state or to vote against restrictions attempting to be passed.

The Abhorrent Effects of Texas’ 6 Week Abortion Ban.

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“SCOTUS” Ink pen drawing by Saige Smith.

On September 1, 2021, Texas’ six week abortion ban went into effect. This outlaws any abortions once a fetal “heartbeat” is detected and does not allow for exceptions, even in cases of rape or incest. Rather than the state prosecuting abortion seekers and/or providers, S.B.8 allows for private citizens to sue abortion seekers and/or providers for $10,000 per abortion.

Fetal heartbeat abortion bans are a basic human rights violation and a crime against humanity according to the UN. Most people, unless they are actively trying to conceive, don’t realize they’re pregnant until week 7, meanwhile fetal “heartbeats” can be detected as early as 6 weeks. The term “fetal heartbeat” – especially before 6 gestational weeks – is misleading in the sense that it’s merely electrical cells (that would later form to become the heart), and what’s actually heard is actually the sonography machine at that point.

S.B. 8. has subsequently brought about detrimental effects to people who’ve became pregnant. This law has since caused physical, psychological and mental distress, trapping people into a cycle of poverty, forcing children as young as 11 carry a fetus to term, compelling chronically disabled people to carry a fetus to term, making people have to drive hundreds of miles to receive medical care, forcing people to preform back-alley abortions, overall strong-arming these people into carrying their pregnancy to term, whether or not they capable of bringing it to term.

Planned Parenthood released a briefing of 33 interviewees (view entire brief here) only 1 month and 10 days after the bill was enacted into law by Texas representatives and Governor Greg Abbott. The brief outlines the grave, horrific realities many pregnant people, even children, have gone through and will continue to have to go through unless this law gets repealed. Some women were petrified when they found out about their pregnancy because they weren’t sure how they were going to get out-of-sate for their abortion due to various factors like being on probation, undocumented, sexually assaulted, etc.

*All initials are pseudonyms to protect interviewees’ privacy.

-T.K. suffers from a chronic disease for which she has been unable to get
medication for eight months. She fears the stress of the pregnancy “would
probably kill [her].”
T.K. said she is not financially stable enough to raise a child. Having grown
up in poverty, she “[doesn’t] want that cycle to happen again.” She noted that
baby formula costs $18 per canister but she barely earns over $20,000 a year.
As a child, T.K. was sexually abused in the care of extended family. She
would not trust anyone to care for her child given the abuse she suffered. She was
relieved to secure an out-of-State abortion, but was worried that because of SB8,
“they’d be waiting to drag [her] off to jail when [she] got here because [she’s] from
Texas.

-Nurse practitioner T.W. saw a young teen who came from Texas to
Oklahoma after being raped and impregnated by her father. Unfortunately, the
family member taking care of her lacked the guardianship forms to be able to
consent to the abortion, and they had to turn her away.

-J.T. is in her mid-thirties with seven children, and recently lost employment
when they contracted COVID-19. She explained that she “can’t have another
child” and that her “seven children come first.”
J.T. was too far along to have an abortion in Texas and considered buying
“pills” online. With Mississippi appointments booking nine weeks out, J.T. woke
up at 4 a.m. to drive six hours to Oklahoma. She split up her children among
various caretakers. She said that hotel, food, and gas “took away over half of what
I make in the month…”

-I.O., in Houston, spoke of a twelve-year-old patient who came in with her
mother, a single working mother with other children. The mother said they could
not travel out-of-State—they had barely made it to the Texas health center. The
twelve-year-old said, “Mom, it was an accident. Why are they making me keep
it?”

Laws like Texas’ six week abortion ban are a dangerous and slippery slope that will lead to unnecessary traumatic and lethal consequences. Abortion bans prevent people from getting the necessary [and sometimes even life-saving] medical care they need. When a bounty is added on top of a ban, this traps people in a cycle of poverty, force them into parenthood no matter the readiness and/or desire to become a parent, and can enable domestic abusers (by holding either the abortion or the child, once its born, over the domestic victims head).

Laws like this must be fought against. In an effort to help save reproductive rights, right to privacy, and right to bodily autonomy: donate to your local Planned Parenthood (or any other reproductive health/abortion center), find a local organization that advocates for abortion rights, and urge your congress-member to pass the “Women’s Health Protection Act” and to repeal any legislation that prohibits abortion access.